Local thrift stores rally to help Claxton family
Uriah, Denise and Gabriel Hodgson pose with Tara Allen, owner of ReSale Rack Thrift Store in Claxton, in front of the family’s rental van. Uriah must lift Gabriel into the vehicle because it does not have a wheelchair ramp. Allen is helping raise money for a wheelchair-accessible van. (photo:Submitted )
Tara Allen, owner of ReSale Rack Thrift Store in Claxton, is raising money to help the Hodgson family buy a wheelchair-accessible van with a ramp for Gabriel.
Allen explains on a GoFundMe page that Gabriel has spinal muscular atrophy Type 2, or SMA, a progressive neuromuscular condition that causes severe muscle weakness. He cannot stand or walk without assistance.
“He’s at risk for breaking a bone every single time,” Allen said, noting the difficulty the family faces even on simple trips. “They can’t go do a simple family outing. They can’t go look at Christmas lights. They can’t go to the grocery store.”
Uriah said Gabriel weighs about 160 pounds. He said he once accidentally broke his son’s foot against a door frame while trying to lift him into a vehicle.
“The hope is to get an actual wheelchair ramp, which is not something you just go buy,” he said.
Allen said she first met the family and began caring about their situation after witnessing a tractor-trailer hit another of Uriah’s sons, Nicholaus, who survived the incident.
“We want them to have a van as a Christmas miracle,” Allen said of her goal for raising the money. “There’s not a family that’s more deserving. I promise you that.”
Uriah said he was “still trying to process” having others help raise the money.
“I’ve been trying to raise money for years and never gotten anywhere,” he said. “In fact, everyone I’ve ever called, from media to everybody else, won’t even return phone calls or get involved.”
Uriah said insurance does not cover the cost of the wheelchair-accessible van.
Another local business, Thy Will Thrift at 805 Clinch Ave. in Clinton, is also helping with the fundraising effort.
Donations can be made or more information obtained at Thy Will Thrift or ReSale Rack Thrift Store, 612 Edgemoor Road in the Claxton community. An online GoFundMe campaign also has been established.